Ryan_Taylor Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Wait.... Wait... Wait... Nah... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Martin O’Neill will begin his reign as Sunderland manager against Blackburn Rovers this weekend with the aim of transforming the Black Cats into a team playing with the same style and finesse as Barcelona. Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill wants his team to play the Barcelona way but may have to be more pragmatic against Blackburn Rovers O’Neill is aware his bold vision for a club that has never finished in the top six of the Premier League will prompt sniggers, as well as raise eyebrows, but the Ulsterman was not telling a joke. In the 16 months he has spent out of the game following his sudden departure from Aston Villa, O’Neill has spent much of his time analysing different teams and their style of play. And a manager who has sometimes been criticised in the past for playing a bland brand of football has been bewitched by the high octane pass-and-press game of the Spanish and European champions. It is in their image that O’Neill hopes to get Sunderland performing on Wearside, although he admits a side hovering just one place above the relegation zone ahead of Sunday’s home game with Blackburn needs pragmatic rather than pretty football in its current predicament. “I always come back to the way Barcelona play,” said O’Neill when asked what he would like his Sunderland team to represent. “It’s a long way in the future, but you’d love to keep that in the back of your mind and think you could eventually have a team that could come out and play like that. “Over the course of time, people will probably throw that back at me. Over the last couple of years, Arsenal have been very easy on the eye and it would be lovely to play a brand of football that would excite the crowd. “But we need to win some football matches and I suppose at the moment pragmatism has to be the order of the day. We have to win games.” Given the success he enjoyed at Aston Villa as a counter-attacking team, O’Neill might be expected to adopt a similar strategy at Sunderland, but he does not think it is an option open to him. He explained: “We seemed to have a reputation at Aston Villa for being a counter-attacking and when you have the likes of [James] Milner, [Ashley] Young, [stewart] Downing and [Gabriel] Agbonlahor playing in the side, that’s probably quite true. “There was a lot of pace in the side so it was almost natural to play that way, particularly away from home. “I don’t think, from the first look here, that we have that same kind of pace in the team at the moment, so you’d have to adjust accordingly.” Sunderland have won just three times at the Stadium of Light in 2011, a dreadful run and the biggest single reason behind the demise of Steve Bruce as manager. O’Neill has made an improvement in the team’s home form one of his main priorities as Bruce’s successor and a win over Rovers on Sunday would restore the buffer between Sunderland and the bottom three. A defeat, however, would see Steve Kean’s side move above them in the table and O’Neill’s hand ahead of his first game has been weakened by injuries, as well as captain Lee Cattermole’s suspension. Striker Nicklas Bendtner has not trained all week and neither has defender John O’Shea, while full-back Phil Bardsley is troubled by a reoccurring ankle problem. Bendtner has failed to fire so far during his loan move from Arsenal, but he is the most talented forward in the squad O’Neill inherits and getting the best out of the Dane is a must for O’Neill given the lack of alternative goal sources. “It’s paramount to get the best out of Nicklas,” he said. “He has a lot of natural talent, but wasn’t always in the starting line-up at Arsenal. They have allowed him to come up here and it’s an important time for him. This season is one where he can come through and score some goals. “He might have to adapt to a different style of play because Arsenal tend to have the ball all the time in the vast majority of matches, even against the best teams in the league. “With respect, we might not have the ball as often as that. So he’ll have to adjust and readjust during the course of a game. Most importantly of course, he has to get some goals.” Imagine if Pardew came out with that bulllshit. a little dose of reality Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loki679 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Hope Collocini plays and fucks his cruciate Norwich is the only answer. Hopefully by a country mile, with a rather serious injury to Demba Ba. http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=652868 Classy as ever. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinho lad Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 A MON team to play like Barcelona? Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck ooooooooooooooooooooooff! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStar Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Barcelona of the North Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenBartonCentrePartin Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 'I wouldn't be surprised if he went and got Heskey in the window' - Paul Merson. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dokko Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 'I wouldn't be surprised if he went and got Heskey in the window' - Paul Merson. And people say Merson talks shit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp40 Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 BARCELOLNA http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=652804 Heading into bottom three. we can always rely on Barca to lift the mood. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 ...and look who has dropped into the relegation zone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Craig-NUFC Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Macken kernt Just heard a huge BANG! outside? Must of been the mags coming back down to earth! ha! just look at what happened to blackpool last season... and they didnt lose two of their best places to ACON? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Daft cunts frothing at the gash. Take a look at the fucking table you plebs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WashyGeordie Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 FTM. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sima Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Looks like Brian Cox Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Venkman Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 gonna have to rely on the mackems for a bit of footballing joy again this weekend, don't think they'll let me down. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStar Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 gonna have to rely on the mackems for a bit of footballing joy again this weekend, don't think they'll let me down. It's OK, they've got a plan http://www.readytogo.net/smb/showthread.php?t=653009 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 What a horrific group of fans this club has. Cannot believe they are talking about us losing, the day they've dropped into the relegation places Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp40 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 anybody tell me what time Barca sunderlol ko today? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ObiChrisKenobi Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 They were KO'd months ago, lost to Brighton 2nd round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karjala Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 1.30 KO odds: Mackems 1.80/1, Blackburn 4.60/1! Jesus! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cp40 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 1.30 KO odds: Mackems 1.80/1, Blackburn 4.60/1! Jesus! cheers. ock- git Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ObiChrisKenobi Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.S.R. Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 'I wouldn't be surprised if he went and got Heskey in the window' - Paul Merson. Why's he always got it in for North East teams? Did someone in Boro sell him some coke cut with ExLax? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J7 Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 I think they'll win pretty comfortably today. Blackburn are horrific. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenBartonCentrePartin Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 new manager or not, its still the same 10 pieces of shit + Sessegnon going out on the pitch today. Blackburn will have a bit of belief after last weekend. I don't think the result is as straightforward as some think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeloEmre Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Bramble back in the starting line-up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts